


these arms were made for holding you

by junaiiper



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adam and Shiro's relationship told from Adam's POV, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, M/M, Reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-06-13 23:48:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15376071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junaiiper/pseuds/junaiiper
Summary: Adam thought by the time Takashi returned to earth, their time would be up. His illness would probably be worse, and Takashi would be spending his days in between hospital rooms, physical therapy appointments, and bed. He would have no time for a relationship -- let alone marriage -- with Adam.But God, each day that Takashi wasn’t there, in his arms or by his side, smiling that thousand-watt grin, Adam regretted saying those words more and more.





	these arms were made for holding you

**Author's Note:**

> title is from '18' by one direction
> 
> we're popping "shiro is canon gay" bottles bitches!!!!
> 
> pls listen to [this](https://open.spotify.com/user/hoshiiiko/playlist/1IyCAzaNI93NkgSSt9Vixk?si=EAxjeuBCTQeajDpNGVEkog) while reading

_“I won’t go through this again. So if you decide to go, don’t expect me to be here when you get back.”_

 

Adam had been furious that Takashi would rather spend one of his last years excavating ice samples on a moon up in space rather than with him. His fiancé. Adam thought by the time Takashi returned to earth, their time would be up. His illness would probably be worse, and Takashi would be spending his days in between hospital rooms, physical therapy appointments, and bed. He would have no time for a relationship -- let alone  _marriage_ \-- with Adam.

 

But God, each day that Takashi wasn’t there, in his arms or by his side, smiling that thousand-watt grin, Adam regretted saying those words more and more.

 

When the ship left for Kerberos, Adam didn’t stay to watch takeoff or say a teary goodbye to his ex-fiancé. He locked himself in his office, pushing away the empty feeling in his chest and feeling it with paperwork.

 

For the coming weeks, he didn’t follow the news of the Kerberos mission, which constantly reminded him of Takashi, who Adam hated himself for still thinking of. He left him here on earth, traveling billions of miles away to tend to something more important than their love. He threw away their future. All of their little promises of moving to the country and starting a family, whispered to each other on stormy nights, fingers tracing jawlines, lips on shoulders, would never happen.

 

He broke Adam’s heart, just like he broke all of their promises.

  
Adam shut himself off from the world. He dedicated himself to his work and his studies, spending most of his time in his office or teaching. Never did he move on to other lovers, but he thought he had moved on from Takashi. Until.

 

He was sitting in the Garrison’s canteen late one night, sipping a coffee while grading papers. Normally, Adam chose to work in his office or room, but that night he was feeling claustrophobic in the cramped workspace and had to move to a new atmosphere. Luckily, the canteen was free of most students, the only noise being the low murmur of the television reporting the weather. Rain, for the next week. Great.

 

Adam was through a sizeable amount of the papers when the TV screen automatically switched to the news channel, “BREAKING NEWS” in big, red letter flashing across the screen.

 

He doesn’t need to hear what the reporter says before he’s sent into a panic.

 

 _Kerberos mission disappears due to pilot error,_ read the banner below the three faces of the mission and Adam’s breath seemed to stop in his throat because he hadn’t seen that cropped hair and those soft brown eyes and strong jaw in months when he stopped looking at photos of them together. “Takashi,” He whispers, to no one in particular, through trembling lips and doesn’t move, watching the screen adamantly.

 

He doesn’t sleep that night.

 

-

 

The second time he loses Takashi, Adam doesn’t bury his feelings. He digs up the old photos, mementos, and knick-knacks that link back to his fiancé. He puts a photo of Takashi on his desk, so he’s with him where he spends the most time.

 

He wears the engagement ring that he shoved in his sock drawer, that he never got rid of _just in case_.

 

He mourns him, along with the rest of the Garrison. With the rest of the country.  


His memory haunts Adam. He tries to ignore it, remember him but not let it ruin him, but everything reminds him of Takashi.

 

Each waking moment Adam prays that Takashi is there, in the staff lounge making coffee, helping out at the library, or in his room humming along to a song he wrote for himself in his head. He wishes to wake up and for Takashi be holding him in his arms, and for the two of them to be safe and sound.

 

-

 

Adam woke to a rapid knocking on his door, following by a loud “ _Shhhh_ ”, and then two light raps against the wood. Adam rarely got visitors. Who could that be at _\--_ he checked the clock -- 5:28 in the morning? Whoever it was better have a good reason for disturbing him. He was not a morning person.

 

Throwing his covers off himself, Adam got up out of bed, grabbing his glasses so he could actually see. “Coming,” he called in response to another loud knock, checking his mussed-up hair in the mirror. It was a mess, but he couldn’t care less at this hour.

 

“Yes?” He asked as the door opened, his eyes landing on the group of people in the hallway. Four or five teenagers were hiding behind a tall man, and Adam swore he recognized that face somewhere but he’s not sure and --

 

_Oh._

 

“Hi,” says Takashi, as if he was letting out a breath he’d been holding for an eternity. He looks different, with a scar running across the bridge of his nose (who hurt him?), his hair completely white, and _is that a prosthetic arm_?

 

He must be staring, because one of the teens -- the shortest, with light brown hair and huge round glasses -- is giving him an odd look, while the others still stand to the side, not wishing to interrupt.

 

“You...you came back,” Adam does a once over of Shiro, still frozen gripping the door handle. He feels his face burn and tears start to form. He swallows. “You’re alive.”

 

And Takashi breaks out into that all too familiar grin that Adam just loves, and laughs, nodding. “Yeah. I am, Adam. I’m back. I came back for you.” Adam can’t hold himself back anymore and wraps Takashi in the tightest hug he ever has, tears falling freely now.

  
Takashi presses his lips to Adam’s temple, and they hold each other so tight and for so long. “I’m never letting you go again. Never,” Adam pulls back and looks up at Takashi through his fogged-up glasses. “I’m so sorry for what I said. I love you, Takashi.”

 

“You know I love you back. Always.”

 

Adam ignores the whooping and cheering from Takashi’s group of friends because he’s here, _Takashi is really here, after so long,_ and he couldn’t be happier.

 

Nothing could ever make him happier.

**Author's Note:**

> edit: i'm actually blown away about the positive feedback on this fic! thank you all so much!!  
> [tumblr](https://botwlinks.tumblr.com)


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